Lately I’ve taken to revisiting old staples that have often worked in the past, but for one reason or another just never followed up on. The one product that tops that list is something I first begun using over eight years ago right after my first BC. The stylist who’d chopped my hair used this to twist & coil my hair on two to three inch hair and the end result…simply AMAZING! I mean, it was moisturized for DAYS! I had these cute little coils that I kept twirling and twirling around my fingers sitting in Biology class. It was great because at the start of my natural journey I had already begun to use quality, trustworthy products on my hair. It was smooth sailing for a while….for a good long while actually..lol! My hair grew to shoulder length before I stopped purchasing and the simple reason was that…I just couldn’t afford it.

Aveda’s Humectant Pomade was my little secret once upon a time for brilliant shine, bouncy curls and one of the most long-lasting twistouts I’ve ever rocked! But alas, once my hair grew past shoulder length, my college economy could not very well spend over $20 on a 2.6 ounce jar of pomade. Back then I couldn’t find the justification, so I switched to curl enhancing gels mixed with beeswax. This mix worked respectably well but could only do so much. I often had to use more gel and wax to compensate for the thickness of my hair which was dangerous once dried…basically you run the risk of flakes and over-dryness due to over-applying. With the Aveda pomade the tune was always different. Generally I styled my hair with the pomade to do double stand twists, a great utility for this because the pomade had a natural ability to lengthen my hair, leaving me with elongated twists for several days, just one of the many added bonuses of this stuff!

But lately, I dunno…this one’s been on my mind for some time, particularly due to the dryness in the air lately. I’ve been a quiet fan of Aveda for some time, and have used products not only from their hair care line, but from their skin care line as well. Both experiences were thumbs up scenarios, but again….$$$$!!!

Even today, after years of styling my hair with products that have cost as little as $2 to products that cost $58 (you know who you are!) I was still a tad reluctant to invest again in something that was so compatible with my hair. So to shush my doubts and concerns, I decided to read up more on precisely WHY now’s the time to re-introduce my hair to this product. According to a fantastic article on natuallycurly.com:

We hear a lot about the humectants. But many of us may not know what they are and how they work….Humectants are used in skin and hair-care products to promote moisture retention. These hygroscopic compounds posses a chemical structure that attracts water from the atmosphere and binds it to various sites along the molecule.

These ingredients are used in many products, especially those designed for consumers with dry, damaged hair. While they can provide benefit in certain circumstances, it is important to understand how they work and under what circumstances they might provide less-than-optimal results. When considering whether to use humectants, the most important piece of the puzzle is how the weather can impact your hair and the performance of these molecules.

Hair exposed to very dry air without protection can lose its moisture, develop an unpleasant texture and can become unruly, flyaway, and frizzy. It also can become more prone to breakage and split ends. Conversely, unprotected exposure to excessive moisture and humidity can swell the hair cortex, causing the cuticle scales on the exterior of the hair shaft to become ruffled and giving hair a coarse, unpleasant texture. Clearly, neither scenario is desirable.

You can read the rest of the article here, but essentially I was sold on the basics. This product has what my hair needs at the moment, it’s worked in the past…and with time I’ve learned how to manipulate my hair enough times to note how much to apply!

According the Aveda’s site you should:

Apply to wet or dry hair prior to braiding or making a pony tail. This will keep stray hairs in place and maintain a smooth, controlled style.

I love it for twist outs and to generally retain moisture to my ends. Heck, if you’ve got dry curls, thick & coarse hair, hair that lacks moisture on a day to day basis I highly recommend the humectant pomade! I’ll be adding to my routine the end of week and will post results;-)

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You've stumbled upon Back To Curly, a blog written & brought to you by me, Chai! I'm a writer, work-body, incessant daydreamer, currently residing in a little nook in Brooklyn. Here you'll find musings on natural hair, beauty tales & so much more. Share a bit here...